A Pirates Tale
by Seig Terajima
Summary: Captain Sora of the pirate ship The King of Hearts always had a knack for attracting trouble of all kinds, but never from the inside. When his first mate turns and kidnaps the daughter of a embassador, Sora must team up with old friends to save her. C4 UP
1. Chapter 1: King of Hearts

Synopsis: This is based loosely (and by loosely I mean if it was a pair of pants it would need a belt to hold it up) on Pirates of the Carribean and my old OLD story King of Pirates.

Disclaimer: I OWN KINGDOM HEARTS! YES! I'M RICH! Kidding. It's those corperate demons of Square Enix who own Kingdom Hearts.

A Pirates Tale  
By Seig Terajima  
  
Chapter 1: King of Hearts  
  
_Captains Log Entry, the fifteenth of August, the Third Age  
  
The First Mate's tellin' me we're approachin' a little world, we shall arrive in naught a half an hour. It'll be good to land somewheres, we've been runnin' low on supplies, and the mates are growing restless. They could use a bit 'o fun, eh? Besides, the ships in need of a bit 'o repair ever since we have that meetin' with them bastards who fly under that red flag of theirs. I swear, I'll blow their ship in to the depths of space a' fore we meet again. Aye, they embarrassed be that day, and it had an effect on the crew. I can see it when I walk past, they stop their mumblin' and move on workin'.  
Land ho! It's good to hear those words again. We've arrived faster than I expected, but I ain't complainin'.  
  
Captain Sora of the King of Hearts  
  
_ The captain pocketed his little leather-bound log in a pocket in his black short-sleeved, hooded coat. Seizing his sword belt from its prone position hanging from his metal wall, he clasped it around his waist, and moved towards the door to his cabin, which slid aside with a metallic _hiss!  
_  
Black boots clanked across the metal walkway of the King of Hearts, as Sora made his way to the cockpit of his glorious vessel. He was quite proud of his ship, it was once an Intergalactic Fleet gummi ship, but he had personally hijacked it along with....well, he didn't particularly want to remember who he had stolen the craft with. Too many memories went along with him...good, and bad. Another door slid out of his way, and he made his way in to the dome-like cockpit.  
  
"Mister Ansem, report!" He said briskly, and his first-mate turned to his captain from his position next to some monitors. More than twenty years older than Sora, Ansem was also at least two heads taller, with silvery-white hair and piercing red eyes.  
  
"Just approaching the world now, captain. Mister Phips says the world is called the Destiny Islands. Very remote, sir. It appears that our encounter with the Highwind earlier had knocked us off course, because we're on the far north-west corner of the charts."  
  
"Oh well, no matter." Sora said, brushing the matter off. He scanned the view screen, surveying the only three islands on the planets wondrously blue surface. "Take her down there." He said, pointing to the second largest island. "We want to avoid the large island here, it's probably a city of some sort. We don't want to attract the attention of the Fleet."  
  
"Sir," Ansem interrupted. "We're far out of the Fleets view, why not take the chance?"  
  
"Mister Ansem, you know that if we were forced in to a crossfire with the Fleet we would be easily shot down, and I'm not in the mood to come hand to hand with them." He glared hard at the man. "Are you questioning my judgment?"  
  
"No sir!" Ansem said stiffly. Sora's eyes were locked in Ansem's dark red eyes for a few more seconds, and then he stood upright again, ran a hand through his spiky brown hair, and turned to the rest of the crew.  
  
"Now remember, you sacks of monkey nuts, this is only a re-supply mission, and as soon as we stock up and make the repairs to the ship, we're getting' outta there. I don't want nobody makin' any trouble while we're down there, ye got it?"  
  
"Yes sir!" Was the resounding response from the crew. Sora gave each of them in turn a powerful glare with his brilliant blue eyes, and turned to the man at the controls.  
  
"Take her down, Mister Phips."

The Destiny Islands was by far the most beautiful place Sora had ever seen in his entire life.  
  
"In my entire 17 years of existence...I've never seen something like this..." He said quietly, and Ansem nodded beside him.  
  
"Aye captain...this place is a beaut..."  
  
The island looked something like out of a fairy tales Sora's mother used to read to him. The houses were small compared to the skyscrapers he was used to see in space ports, and they were metal, not wood. Instead of a paved road, a dirt strip weaved in between the quaint houses. Still, all this was a welcome change for someone who had been in deep space for 14 months with a group of pirates.  
  
"All right, stock up on drinking water, and find some stores to get our food!" He waved a hand outward. "Now, GET MOVING!" The men all gave a half-hearted 'yes sir!' and ran off in opposite directions. Sora dug his hands in the pockets of his black pants, and started moving down the road. He wanted to get a better look at this new world.  
  
"Mister Ansem," He called over his shoulder. "Make sure those bastards get what we need, and don't let them get out of control."  
  
Ansem gave his captain an evil glare before turning on his heels and stalking off.  
  
"...aye aye..._captain_."  
  
Ansem stalked down the dirt road towards the beach, where the gigantic, blood red starship sat in the shallows. He was surprised that it didn't attract a lot of attention. Of course, they could have just as easily landed in an actual dock in the city..._but that suspicious little whelp had to make things complicated...  
_  
Finding the group of rough looking men leaning against the crafts side, he beckoned them with a gloved hand.  
  
"C'mon boys...let's get the others and have ourselves some fun."  
  
(Authors Note- well, that's it for the first chapter. Yes, it is small, but its just setting things up for the rest. I promise the next one will be more productive. Anyhoo, R&R, lemme know what you think. Of course, this is a fanfic, so if you've got ideas for it, put em up and lemme know. One can never have too many ideas. Keep rockin.)


	2. Chapter 2: Uneasy Meetings

Authors Note: I'm saying this in advance, my updates might be a bit late sometimes, cuz even an author has stuff to do. I'll try though, so bear with me.

* * *

A Pirates Tale  
By Seig Terajima  
  
Chapter 2: Uneasy Meetings  
  
Sora soon discovered that the second island was easily larger than his first glance at it from space, and soon after this breakthrough he promptly hit himself in the head for pointing out the obvious. After clearing the rows of cozy little houses, he soon came upon what was a little square that closely resembled an outdoor market, with people bustling around while there was still daylight left.  
  
Pushing his way in to the crowd, it was actually pretty easy to blend in with the crowd. _Heh, and Ansem said this was a bad place to pi-  
_  
WHAM! Sora ran headlong in to someone else who wasn't paying attention.  
  
"HEY!" He shouted, wheeling to the person. "Why don't you watch where...uh..."  
  
Sora was instantly struck dumbfounded when he turned the culprit who hit him. She straitened herself up and turned to him. Brushing a few stray strands of deep red hair out of her eyes, she smiled at him.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't watch where I was going." She apologized, and started looking him up and down in mid-sentence.  
  
"You're uh...not from around here, are you?" She asked, glancing nervously down at his sword. Sora quickly regained his composure.  
  
"No, I'm not."  
  
Her bright blue eyes lit up in an instant.  
  
"Oh! So you're from another world! That's so cool!" She thrust out her hand. "I'm Kairi Denison."  
  
Sora hesitantly took her hand. Normally, instinct would mandate that he just walked away...but there was something about her that was likeable. And she certainly wasn't a pirate. Then, something about her name ticked in the back of his head.  
  
"Denison? As in, related to the Ambassador of the Galactic Senate?"  
  
Kairi sadly shook her head.  
  
"Yeah, he's my dad. And because dead old daddy is trying to pass that stupid tax law, everybody knows him." She sighed, and ran a hand through her hair. "It's because of those stupid pirates, they keep on robbing ships. I just wish they'd leave everybody alone, don't you?"  
  
Sora sweatdropped. "Uh...I've never had a problem with pirates." He said evasively. This conversation was becoming more and more uncomfortable.  
  
"Well, you're lucky."  
  
Apparently, at that moment, Kairi decided that standing in the middle of a busy market wasn't the best place to talk, so she grabbed Sora's wrist sand started dragging him away from the crowd.  
  
"Wha-? Where the hell are we going?" He asked. Kairi called from over her shoulder.  
  
"Someplace where we can talk!"  
  
Sora sighed, and deeply pondered what he was getting into, while succeeding in running in to another person as he went.  
  
The 'someplace where we can talk' turned out to be a small tavern entitled the Sleepy Moogle. Kairi apparently knew her way around the cozy little joint, because she immediately sat down at a table next to the window. Sora, very unsure of what to do (he wasn't exactly used to social interaction with other people than his crew) took a seat across from her. A slightly plump woman approached the pair. She smiled down at Kairi.  
  
"Well deary...does your father know you're out here?" She asked. Kairi grinned slyly.  
  
"Daddy's out of town. And what daddy doesn't know won't hurt him."  
  
The lady clucked her tongue disapprovingly, and then looked down at Sora in surprise.  
  
"And who is this?" She asked, surveying his appearance. Sora, not particularly wanting to say his real name, kept his mouth shut. Luckily, Kairi covered him.  
  
"He's a friend from high school. We're just here to get out of the storm."  
  
"Storm?" Sora asked, looking out the glass pane next to him, only to find large black clouds of the said impending storm moving dangerously over the water. He had been so interested in the people and things that he didn't even look. This place was so different from the things he had been used to. It was so...normal. It was cozy, it wasn't crowded, dirty...or metal, for that matter. Those were the conditions he was raised in, and he was used to them. Rose by pirates, raised to be a pirate. He wasn't meant for places like this. Well, at one point, he might have been...but that was a long time ago. He couldn't even remember anything from then. But still...maybe if things had been different...maybe if- _NO. What's done is done and it couldn't have been done any other way. You're a pirate, and you always will be._ The voice of reason told him. He was secretly glad that Kairi was still talking to that woman, and she couldn't see his little inner turmoil.  
  
_ But what if? _The questioning voice asked. _What if you could've had a normal life...you would have liked that, right?  
_  
_ But it DIDN'T turn out like that, did it? No, you were raised by pirates, and you're a pirate.  
_  
_ But you'd prefer a normal life...right?  
_  
_That's not the point.  
_  
Since when did Sora's head become the debating room?  
  
"What about you?" Kairi asked, snapping Sora out of his self- argument.  
  
"Huh?" He asked.  
  
"Do you want anything to eat?"  
  
"Oh, no."  
  
The lady gave Sora an odd look, and walked away, making a note on her little pad.  
  
"You're lucky I covered for you." Kairi said lightly, leaning back in her seat. "You never told me what you name was, anyways." Sora knew this question was going to come up. Should her tell her the truth? _She's the ambassador's daughter, of course not._ But Sora, rarely going with the voice of common sense anyways, decided to not break tradition. She could be trusted...after all, who could she tell?  
  
"The names Sora, cap-"He quickly cut himself off from announcing his full title. Kairi apparently didn't notice his little fumble.  
  
"So, Sora...what brings you to this desolate little corner of the universe?"  
  
"Um...delivery on the ship I work on." He lied. Kairi leaned forward towards him.  
  
"You work on a delivery ship? Isn't that, like, a full-time job?" She asked, her eyes widening in disbelief. Sora nodded nonchalantly.  
  
"Wow...but don't you go to school?" She questioned, and Sora again shook his head. Kairi gave a low whistle.  
  
"You really ARE lucky." She said, staring out the window into the growing storm clouds. "I'd give anything to be you right now." Sora snorted, and allowed a very rare smile.  
  
"Trust me, you don't." He said, and Kairi gave him a quizzical look.  
  
"Why not? It must be great, moving from place to place, not being tied down by anything." She said dreamily.  
  
"It's not all it's cracked up to be. Space travel isn't that great, and you've got pirates flying around everywhere." He added for emphasis. It would be better not to tell her what he really was.  
  
"Is that why you've got a sword?" Kairi pointed to his belt, with his scabbard dangling off the edge. Sora glanced down at his weapon, then back up at her.  
  
"Yeah. Standard issue."  
  
The rest of the conversation proceeded with Kairi asking a lot of questions in between wolfing down a hamburger and French fries, and Sora making up answers and talking as little as he had to. Sora mentally smacked himself repeatedly for spending time talking to some girl than getting back to the ship and leaving as soon as possible. Sora turned his head towards the wall clock. It read 10:34.  
  
"Listen, Kairi," He said, breaking her off. "I have to get back to my ship."  
  
He stood up, but as he did, a piercing scream came from outside, closely followed by rough laughter and a few gun shots. In a flash, Sora drew his blade, and ran for the door.  
  
"Sora?" Kairi called from her seat. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Stay put!" He hollered over his shoulder. _Please don't let that be them, please don't let that be them..._ Shoving past other curious diners, Sora nearly kicked down the door to the pub, sword raised.  
  
"Captain!" A harsh voice called from the chaos in front of the 17-year olds eyes. "You're just in time for the party!"

* * *

Authors Note: Boy, I felt strained on this one, I guess that's what  
happens when you go on vacation and come back.  
Two reviews, sweet! Thanks guys! I promise I'll have chappie 3 up in a  
bit. Until then, be patient.  
  
Charon-'o-the-Depths: There'll be more log writing, I promise. Log  
writing and action. Ah, it doesn't get any better than that.   
  
Gabriele11: This is the first time I've ever been threatened to  
update. Don't hurt me, I bruise like a peach. 


	3. Chapter 3: Killed From the Inside

Authors Note: Um...not much to say here. Next week I don't think there will be an updates at all, cuz I'm gonna be gone from 8 in the morning to 8 at night. So, I'm trying to get as much as I can now.  
  
Just a reminder, I don't own Kingdom Hearts. I don't own Sora, Kairi, Ansem, or any of those characters coming up that you've at one time seen in a game. The ones you've never heard of before, those are mine. This kinda goes without saying, doesn't it? On with the chapter!

* * *

A Pirates Tale

Chapter 3: Killed From the Inside

Sora stared at his subordinate, who was in the middle of setting a fruit stand on fire when he burst on to the streets. He waved his sword at him, deeply wanting to run the man through.  
  
"Mister Phips! What in the HELL do you think you're doing?" He roared surprisingly loud for a teenager, startling a few already severely startled people near by. The toothless, dirty man grinned fiendishly at him.  
  
"Well, yer firs' mate tol' us you said to have sum fun! Tanks, cap'n!" Mr. Phips gave a drunken salute, and was promptly knocked out cold by a fist, attached to a very angry, murderous Sora.  
  
"I'm gonna KILL that traitorous bastard..." He muttered in exasperation. Kairi appeared at the door behind Sora, fear and worry painted on her pretty face.  
  
"Sora? What's going on?" She asked over the noises of destruction. Sora waved his free hand away.  
  
"I'll take care of this! You get home and stay there!" Kairi opened her mouth to protest, but the look in the young man's eyes made her shut her mouth tightly. Nodding, she took off down the road, dodging between burning wreckage, shouting space pirates and screaming people. Swearing, the brown-haired captain set off in the opposite direction, determined to beat the living shit out of his first mate.  
  
But doing so proved more difficult than he first thought. The chaos that his crew wrought on the peaceful village was tremendous, and Sora had never seen something quite like it. Odd for a pirate captain, yes, but Sora was never one for excessive violence. Take what was needed, then get out, that was his philosophy on piracy.  
  
Bashing in the head of one of his mates, Sora pushed the limp body away from a burning cart. At the very most, he wanted them to wake up with a splitting headache. He didn't really want to kill them. Sora wasn't a big fan of death.  
  
"Ansem!" He called above the din, and a voice, surprisingly close, answered his call.  
  
"I was beginning to wonder when you would come looking for me..."  
  
Sora spun to face Ansem, who was perched on top of a hay pile, a beer bottle in one hand and his blade in the other.  
  
"Ansem, what have you done?" He asked, teeth bared. He slowly assumed a fighting stance. Ansem glanced down at him, clearly unimpressed. Taking a swig from his bottle, he leapt down from his seat.  
  
"I let the crew loose, what does it look like?"  
  
"But WHY?"  
  
"That answer, little boy," He put a disgusted emphasis on the title _'little boy'_. "Is quite simple: I'm so goddamn sick of your bullshit..._captain_. I'm sick of being pushed around by a child. You don't have the balls for this job, Sora, so I'm relieving you of your duty." His words were suddenly followed by a quick slash towards Sora's waist, which he hurriedly blocked. Ansem tossed the empty bottle against the wall behind him, and advanced on Sora.  
  
"Don't be a fool, boy. You can't fight me. I'm the best fighter in the crew."  
  
"That may be true, but it doesn't stop me from trying!" Sora shouted, and lunged at Ansem's mid-section. The blow was easily dodged by the white- haired man, who came back with a slice to Sora's shoulder. He rolled away, leaving just a gash mark in his hooded jacket. He swore to himself. _That was my favorite jacket..._Sora aimed a kick directly at Ansem's chest, and it sent him reeling back, dazed.  
  
Just as he was going to bring his sword crashing down on the man's head, a scream, unlike the others, rang out though the air.  
  
"SORA!!"  
  
Temporarily distracted, Sora turned his head to see Kairi, slung over someone's shoulder, kicking and screaming with all of her might. Completely forgetting Ansem, Sora began running towards her.  
  
"Kairi! Hold on!" He shouted, just as a kick to the back of his legs sent him sprawling forward, his sword flying from his hands. Flipping over, he faced Ansem, who towered over him. Ansem sneered, the flames reflecting eerily in his eyes.  
  
"You've been relieved of your duties, captain." He said in a low, menacing voice, and sent a heavy boot crashing in to the side of Sora's head.  
  
As darkness overtook Sora's world, the last thing he saw was Ansem, stalking away, and Kairi, pleading for help.

* * *

Authors Note: Not much to say here, except one thing: IMPORTAINT! LOOK HERE! READ! I need a good name for an OC that I can't seem to think of a name for. All I can say, without spoiling anything, is that he's a...well, dude. HELP IS WANTEED! 


	4. Chapter 4: The Past is Past

Authors Note: This might be the last one for a while, and I'm not kidding on this one. I didn't even think I was gonna finnish this one in enough time. Starting next week, I've got 9 hour days of non-stop work, and then the next week its 12 hour days. Yes, pity me. Anyways, REVIEW! Oh, and since nobody gave me any suggestions for a name for my guy, I had to make one up on my own. Thanks guys. Lol.

* * *

A Pirates Tale

Chapter 4: The Past is Past  
  
_ Thud...  
  
Thud...  
  
Thud...  
_  
"Owww..."  
  
_ Thud...  
  
Thud...  
_  
A dull pulsing beat brought Sora back in to the living world, and he made an attempt to sit up. He failed miserably. Moaning, he fell back down, finding the pain in his head rather unbearable. Lying on the hard ground, waiting for the pain to subside in to at the very least a light hurt, Sora started listening to the sounds around him. A few voices could be heard not too far away, and they were soon followed by the creaking of wood and a loud THUNK of something falling heavily on the ground. The voices came nearer, and someone shouted:  
  
"Hey! There's a kid here!"  
  
The pad of feet increased, and Sora opened his eyes to the morning sun, only to see two men standing over him.  
  
"Hey kid, are you all right?" One asked, moving down as if to help him up. Sora held out an arm to stop him.  
  
"I'm fine, just took a bad whack on the head." He said slowly, and closed his eyes, letting his arm slump back down on to the ground. Sora hoped the men would just move on, leaving him alone to plan out what he was going to do next. Obviously, he had to get his ship back. Somehow, he had to find out a way to find a pilot, chase down the King of Hearts, and get back his crew_...and Kairi_. Of course, Ansem most likely took her for ransom. He, unfortunately, understood the way his first-mate thought, how his crew thought. How he himself once thought.  
  
_ It's all about the money._ He thought, not without an amused smile on his face, which quickly vanished as realization dawned on him. I can't do this alone... He thought, groaning inwardly. He would need another crew, another group of pirates, to aid him...And I only know one ship than can do it_...of course, it'll take some explanation, but maybe Ri-  
_  
"1...2...3!" The voices said, and Sora barely had enough time to react, as two pairs of rough hands hauled him up. Sora's headache immediately split again, and he swayed against the support of the men's bodies. He silently cursed at himself...he hated to show weakness.  
  
"Easy there, little man. We're taking you to the hospital on the third island, along with a few others."  
  
Sora was about to argue loudly, but abruptly shut his mouth. The third island was the best place to find a ship, and the best way was to go over by hospital boat. He could always just jump ship once they docked. After all, being a pirate made you extraordinarily good at escapes. Sora allowed himself to be dragged towards the docks, feeling very pleased at his own cunning.  
  
However, Sora later realized that escaping would be easier than he first thought. He was brought on to the craft, where he was immediately placed in a room, laid on a cot, and left with a doctor._ Too easy._ The extremely old and wrinkled doctor peered at Sora through rather large glasses.  
  
"Now, son...what is your name?" He asked, taking a pen out of his pocket, and prepared to write on his clipboard. Sora closed his eyes, and leaned back against the cold metal wall.  
  
"Sora." He said shortly. He didn't see it, but the man gave him an odd look.  
  
"And your last name too, son." He said, obviously thinking Sora just forgot it.  
  
"I don't have one." Sora explained, re-opening his eyes to look at the old doctor. The man gently set his clipboard on the table beside the cot, and leaned forward. He stared hard at Sora.  
  
"You don't have one, or you cannot remember?" He asked. Obviously, he thought this answer somehow tied in to Sora's kick to the head. Sora sighed irritably, and ran his hands through his now dirty mahogany hair. His headache had stopped pounding away like a jackhammer some time ago, but all he wanted now was to sleep.  
  
"No, I've never had one. If I had one, I would remember it. I didn't hit my head THAT hard." He said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. The old man appeared un-phased by Sora's tone.  
  
"I see...an orphan, then?"  
  
"What was your first clue?"  
  
The old man merely chuckled, and removed the medical slip from the clipboard. Pocketing it, he left the room, the mechanical door sliding shut behind him. Sora sighed, and closed his eyes again. Slowly, he faded in to sleep.  
  
_ "So...you're leaving, are you?" The voice, Sora knew it well. He didn't turn to the speaker as he continued to pack his bag.  
  
"Don't you dare try to stop me." Sora said menacingly, standing upright, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.  
  
"Heh...I won't. I know you, Sora. Or...I thought I did." His once friend said, adding the last part to get his point across. Sora's grip on his sword lessened slightly.  
  
"You're more than welcome to join me." He offered, knowing he didn't want to go it alone.  
  
"No thanks, I won't become a traitor like you. I choose to remain loyal." He spat, pure malice radiating from his body. Sora's body tensed again.  
  
"Fuck you, Riku."  
  
"See you around, Sora." Riku said, flipping white hair from his face, and turned to leave.  
  
_ Loud horn blasts from the ship awoke Sora, announcing their arrival to the third island. Leaping up, he shoved the dream from his mind. He didn't have time to dwell on the past. _The past is past..._Sora moved hastily towards the door. Letting it slide to the side, he peered in to the dim corridor. Seeing that nobody was around, he dashed out, heading towards the exit.  
  
The above deck was a commotion of people in bandages stumbling off the plank, followed by a few stretchers and medical personnel. Not wanting to go that way for fear of getting caught, he poked his head over the railing. The drop was a few feet, and Sora had jumped from higher. Standing back a few paces, he took a running leap...  
  
And landed neatly on his feet. Giving himself a mental pat on the back, Sora set out from the docks to find the space port.  
  
The streets of the third island were so different from that of the second, that Sora had trouble believing it was on the same planet. People of all different sizes, yet not without a certain tan color to them, shoved past the once Captain, not paying any attention to him what-so-ever. He could tell he was nearing the space port, however, when ships appeared, flying closely over the tall, imposing sky-scrapers. Crossing a busy street at a leisurely pace, eliciting a few honks and curses from drivers, Sora spied the nearest bar. If he was going to find a pilot, it would be here. Of course, I could just steal a ship...Sora quickly shut that thought out. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it legally. _For once.  
_  
Shoving open the door, Sora entered the dimly lit bar. Nobody seemed to take notice at his arrival. Coming up to the counter, he got the attention of the bartender, who surveyed Sora, but commented nothing about his age.  
  
"What can I do you for, kid?" He asked, cleaning a glass with a rag. Sora leaned against the counter, staring hard at the man.  
  
"I'm looking for a pilot to take me outta here. Know where I can find one?" He asked, adopting the slur that scumbags were so often attached to. The bartender put down his rag, and set the glass on the counter.  
  
"Sorry kid, but I dunno nothin' about any pilots here." He said, and Sora frowned, irritated. Turning from the man, he surveyed the bar. A few men were playing cards in the corner, and one or two guys were at the bar.  
  
"You lookin' for a ship?" A voice asked, and Sora turned to a young man to his left. He was thin, built like a runner. Ringed fingers grasped a beer bottle, which he took a drink from while surveying Sora with violet eyes. A thin scar ran across his left cheek, leaving a pale contrast to the rest of his tanned skin.  
  
Sora nodded, and the man set down his bottle. He was wondering if the guy could legally consume alcoholic drinks. He didn't look much older than Sora.  
  
"Where you gotta go then, mate?" He asked.  
  
"Traverse Town." Sora said shortly, it was best to keep conversation to a low. The man nodded again.  
  
"That's fine, I'm heading that way anyways." He said, and held out a hand.  
  
"The name's Faustus." He proclaimed, and Sora took his hand, still not sure if he could trust the guy.  
  
"I'm Sora." With his free hand, Faustus paid for his beer, and then shoved his hand in the front pocket of his dark red and tan sweatshirt. Releasing Sora's hand from his grasp, Faustus laughed.  
  
"Heh, another nameless one, huh? That's cool." He said, and started walking towards the door, beckoning for Sora to follow. Making his way in to the hanger, earrings and chain bracelets jangling melodiously, Faustus slowed down to meet Sora's pace.  
  
"So," He began, stale city breeze playing with his long, shoulder length black hair. "What business takes you to Traverse Town?"  
  
Sora averted his eyes, not willing to meet his own brilliant blue with Faustus' shadowy purple. "I'm chasing someone."  
  
"Hmm...it wouldn't have anything to do with those pirates, now would it?" He asked casually. Sora was about to retaliate as he turned to Faustus. The young man was smiling at him, and a rather disarming smile at that. Sora sighed.  
  
"Yes. They took something from me." He said simply. _All right, they took everything from me._ He admitted to himself. Faustus nodded, understanding.  
  
"I see." He said slowly, his eyes scanning the rows of gummi ships for his own. The pair was silent for a while, until Faustus let out a contented sigh.  
  
"Ah! Here she is!" He proclaimed. With a slight smile on his face, he faced a ship. Sleek curves defined the one-person fighter gummi, painted black and silver. Bulky, class 3 jets popped from under pointed, silver- streaked black wings. Sora gave a low whistle. _It's not the King of Hearts..._He thought slowly, allowing a very rare, small smile_...but it'll do._  
  
"Sora, my nameless friend, I give you: the Black Chimaera."

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Authors Note: This is by far the longest chapter I've ever done. And yes, I did drop an f bomb there; I felt it was appropriate for the scene. If it offended anyone, I apologize. But hey, it does say PG-13. I swear (obviously, but thats not the point) that it won't happen again. Anyways, I NEED SOME REVIEWS! This is the fourth chapter and I've gotten two! ARG! 


	5. Chapter 5: Chains

Authors Note: I'm pushing this one, so sorry if sucks just a bit. It's…dear god, 1:34 at night, and no coffee and no sleep makes Seig something something…

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A Pirates Tale

Chapter 5: Chains

_Captains Log, the nineteenth of August, the Third Age_

_Once again I find myself on a ship, and I welcome the surroundings with open arms. The Black Chimaera is indeed an impressive model, where for many ships a voyage to the isolated world of Traverse Town would take weeks, Faustus promises we will be there within a day. _

_I cannot say that I honestly trust Faustus. He is indeed a strange individual, mostly keeping to himself, locked within his cockpit. This does, however, give me ample time to explore the rest of his ship. Mostly standard issue: a kitchen, a bedroom and, thankfully, a bathroom with a shower. Ah, here comes the devil as I speak. I'll end the log for now. _

_Captain Sora of the King of Hearts_

Hastily wrapping up his entry, Sora shoved his log under the heap that was his jacket. Faustus gave him an odd look of unspoken curiosity as he made his way to the refrigerator. Pulling it open, he withdrew two sodas. Tossing one to Sora, he popped the one in his hand and pulled up a seat next to Sora's position at the table.

"I set her on auto, so we should be all right." He said, and Sora nodded. By "should be alright" he, of course, meant, "If we don't run headlong into any stars, meteors or chunks of space crud." Faustus looked hard at Sora, as if trying to read his face. Or his soul. Either way, the feeling was rather awkward. Taking another steady sip from his pop, he nodded slowly towards Sora's jacket.

"What's with the diary?" He asked casually. Sora's eyes flicked towards his jacket. A corner of his leather logbook was poking out. Hastily shoving it again under his jacket, Sora just shrugged, trying desperately to make it seem like it was nothing.

"It's just a log of my travels." He said simply. Faustus gave a low, amused laugh.

"A kid like you has travels? Huh, never would have thought it." Sora glared at him. He didn't like being called a kid, it was always so belittling.

"And what about you? You can't possibly be any older than I am." Faustus, continued looking at Sora, as if trying to decide to trust him or not. He, much like Sora, was lacking in trust of others.

"I'm 19." He said simply, as if it finished the topic indefinitely.

"All right, so you're two years older than I am." He admitted, causing a slight, brief smile from the enigmatic man. "But what do you do? I mean, owning your own ship and all that."

"Well, if you must know," Faustus said, taking the last swig from the pop, and expertly tossing it into the trashcan behind him. "I'm an assassin for the Empire." Standing up, he began staring out the window opposite of him. Either there was something greatly interesting in the vast emptiness of space, or he was desperately trying to avoid Sora's gaze.

"A few months ago, I was assigned to track down the exact pirate ship you're after, the King of Hearts. The group isn't exactly bloodthirsty, but they've obviously caused the Empire enough trouble to send me after them." Faustus chuckled. "For that reason, I admire these pirates."

Sora blinked. "Huh?"

"I wish I could cause the Empire as much hell as these guys are. I've wanted to take it to them for so long…"

"But…you work for them, right? Why go against those you work for?" _He reminds me of Ansem._ Sora thought, wishing he still had his sword at the moment. Guys with the same qualities as Ansem weren't exactly trustworthy. Faustus turned to Sora.

"Because I hate those bastards. I'm not exactly working for them by choice."

"Then why not quit? Run away to the farthest planet in the system and stay there?" Sora asked. "That's what I'd do."

Faustus tore his gave from the stars passing by, and turned to Sora. His face was expressionless, a blank slate devoid of feeling.

"It's not as simple as that, mate." He said wearily. Sora crumpled his can, and made an attempt to copy the move Faustus made, but only succeeded making the can bounce of the rim, and clank on the metal floor.

"Why not?"

"Because," Faustus said. "They own me." He took a seat next to Sora, and stared hard at the dull, industrial-produced metal. Taking a deep breath, he began his tale, regardless of any invitation.

"I started in the business as a randomly hired man, mostly doing random odd jobs for whoever paid. Eventually, my rep for being a damn good assassin got around and…about a year ago, a man came to me. Nice suit, sunglasses, you know, the rich guy who wants someone gone. The big, powerful CEO who was a habit for playing dirty. " Sora nodded understandingly. "He gave me an offer: Knock off some Ambassador from some odd planet who was trying to pass a bill he didn't like. If I could get it done, I'd get a paycheck large enough to last me the rest of my life. So, naturally, I accepted. No questions, no answers. Nothing personal, pure business. I left for the capitol, Dalamascia, got there, and crept in to this guy's house. All really simple stuff. I had no idea who he was; I assumed he was just some man." Faustus gave a short, sardonic laugh. "Man, how wrong I was. I got there, and in an instant, WHAM! Twenty guns were pointed in my direction. Someone tipped the man off, and I was busted. I thought, there in that hallway, that I was going to die." He gave a halfhearted, stale chuckle. "Sometimes I kinda wish that they did shoot me. But, Death passed me by that night. The Ambassador came, just as they were going to shoot me down, and offered me two choices: I could die right then and there…or I could work for him and the Empire. Looking back…I'm still not sure I made the right choice." Faustus sighed, and scratched his raven-haired head. Looking up at Sora, a mixture of pain and fury radiated in his eyes.

"I'm chained to them, man. Whatever he says I do, I have to do. I don't have choices any more…choices can get me killed."

The pair was silent for what seemed to be forever. Well, at least to Sora it did. Both stared at some object in the room for a while, before Faust stood up, cleared his throat, and started walking to the back of the ship.

"I'm gonna go check on the engine room, then go to bed." He pushed a button next to a wall, and a panel slid open, leading to a descending stairway. "I'll catch you in the morning."

The door slid shut behind Faustus with a long, drawn out hiss. Sora sat in his chair, and Sora stared out the window. Long after Faustus had gone to bed, and slept a constantly uneasy sleep, Sora stood up, gently dumped his crumpled and broken can in the trash, and went to sleep.

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Authors Note: Yeah, I'm back. Not much of a comeback, but its still one. This is all talking, I know, but deal until the next one, K? 


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